Name: My creations, a new form of life
Uploaded: 2007-09-06T10:00:00Z
Duration: 7 min 59 s
Description: Artist Theo Jansen demonstrates the amazingly lifelike kinetic sculptures he builds from plastic tubes and lemonade bottles. His creatures are designed to move -- and even survive -- on their own.

Artist Theo Jansen demonstrates the amazingly lifelike kinetic sculptures he builds from plastic tubes and lemonade bottles. His creatures are designed to move -- and even survive -- on their own.

My creations, a new form of life

Plastic tubes and lemonade bottles become eerily lifelike creatures, roaming Dutch beaches in herds and reacting to their environments. These kinetic sculptures harness wind, storing energy to survive tides and storms, and even use simple sensors to avoid water and obstacles. Inspired by evolution, each generation refines movement and survival, creating mechanical beasts that walk autonomously and adapt to the challenges of the shoreline.

Wind-Powered Machines Blur the Line Between Art and Life

*The Great Pretender*

Self-propelling beach animals

animals

creativity

demo

design

entertainment

technology

TED Stage Talk

Theo Jansen: My creations, a new form of life